The pandemic hit hard the health of the economy. So how could the hospitality industry stay immune to the worldwide health and hygiene crisis followed by economic disaster? The good news is, that the world has gotten back to normalcy. Though it will take a few years to recover from the loss, the signs of recovery and progress are omnipresent and obvious. Talking about the COVID crisis and post-pandemic potentials in Digha, Mr Ramakant, the proprietor of Hotel Utopia, was sounding optimistic at a recently held press conference in Kolkata. “Covid broke out in December 2019 and travelled to India in March of the next year. Just imagine we started in 2019. It goes without saying the kind of enthusiasm, energy and effort one would feel while starting a new venture. And it was about not only me but also everyone associated with the Hotel Utopia project, my employees, our families and well-wishers. When the pandemic forced us to bring the shutter down, it was no less than a nightmare. We had no idea how long the tunnel was and if dark would be denser or there would be a glimpse of light at the end”, he simply looked disturbed while narrating the horror and harassment brought to the entire industry by Covid and ensuing lockdown.
The travel and tourism industry was one of the worst-hit sectors. Digha has always been one of the most affordable destinations for all middle-class Bengalis. With luxurious hotels coming to grace the Digha landscape, it is now becoming a hotspot for well-heeled travellers as well. “The ebb and flow in the travel and tourism industry create rippling effects on other industries and vice versa. Hence, the hospitality industry, transport industry and many others suffered simultaneously. This is why, this post-Covid phase is more important as we all are on a journey from the eclipse of economic doom to the road to recovery”, he sounded optimistic this time.
According to him, things have just started looking up and there is still a long way to go. The industry has suffered huge losses and now with travellers trickling in, all the hotel owners are praying “Oh God! No further setback”. “We hope a big crowd will visit Digha this Durga Puja. Again during Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we will hopefully do great business. This monsoon season, people are coming to our hotels for a short weekend vacation, with added interest in the gastronomic gala. It is the season of hilsa and we try our level best to treat them to a variety of delicious hilsa preparations. We hope Digha tourism has a shining future and together, we can surely get back the lost glory of prosperity”, he continued.
About Hotel Utopia: [FURL=https://utopiadigha.com/]Hotel Utopia[/FURL] Hotel Utopia is a Digha hotel in Old Digha. It has caught the attention of many tourists for several reasons – sprawling premise, luxury ambience, tight security, modern facilities, food fiesta, great service and reasonable price. The hotel is owned by Mr Ramakantwho risked his resources in the hotel business only 3 years ago. Then the pandemic hit and the industry suffered a blow. But now, he is looking forward to a booming future in the post-Covid phase.